Dual honor for RCC professor

The Ruth Greene Award from the Northern Neck Regional Jail was named after RCC professor Ruth Greene, who is also its first recipient.

The Ruth Greene Award from the Northern Neck Regional Jail was named after RCC professor Ruth Greene, who is also its first recipient. (Posted by rccinfo, Community Contributor)

Posted by rccinfo, Community Contributor

Rappahannock Community College professor of information systems technology Ruth Greene has recently received double recognition from Warsaw's Northern Neck Regional Jail (NNRJ). When the jail instituted a new award for community members who invested their time in its programs with no thought of return, Greene was not only the first person to receive it, but was also honored by having the award named after her. The first "Ruth Greene Award for Service" credits Greene's " technological expertise" for developing a customized annual evaluation document for jail employees. "This recognition is the greatest I have ever received," she says.Greene's evaluation document has been identified as a "key strategic element" in enabling NNRJ to fulfill the triple mission of operating a safe, secure, and humane institution; doing so at no cost to the participating jurisdictions; and keeping all current employees on the payroll. When Michelle Lewis, NNRJ's director of finance and administration, asked for help on the project, Greene donated countless hours toward working out a document that would meet those goals. As she explained to Lewis, she found the idea of supporting NNRJ deeply satisfying. Since her husband participated in the criminal justice system as a probation officer until his retirement, and she herself served as an adult educator at NNRJ before coming to RCC, she understands how difficult corrections work is, and was eager to do something significant to create real change. "Serving my community through NNRJ's efforts has truly been a life mission," she says.In presenting the award, Lewis told Greene, "You have been an artist on the team of builders tasked with securing the foundation upon which we will continue to add . . . an architect of NNRJ's vision." NNRJ plans to continue selecting individuals to receive the Ruth Greene Award whose dedication "on their own time and dime" makes work at the jail "better, easier, and more fulfilling."